Signal Peak via Oak Grove Trail

The views are gorgeous the entire way up and varied. Oak Grove Campground is situated in a ponderosa grove that quickly transitions into oak up from the trail head. At 6,500 ft in the campground, you already have great views of the Colorado Plateau and Hurricane Valley below. Looking up, you see the impressive granite face of Pine Mountain. About halfway up the mountainside, you begin to get very close to the granite wall and its interesting rock formations. Plant communities and climate change over the course of the hike as well. If you’re afraid of heights, there weren’t any sections with a straight drop until the very end at mile 1.9 (the top of the climb is mile 2.1). Until that point, the slope directly below the trail was never steep enough to make me nervous, and it was thickly vegetated with strong oak shrubs. This is a very strenuous hike, with a steep ascent. While steep, the trail is almost entirely composed of switchbacks, making it a little easier than you might imagine for the elevation gain (you won’t ever be hiking straight up). This is a non-technical hike, take your time and you’ll get there. You’ll be walking over rocks and small boulders on an exposed ridge. Trekking poles are recommended as the substrate between the rocks is loose and prone to sliding. Additionally, water has flowed down the middle of the trail in many sections, eroding the trail to a deep V. These sections can be awkward as you are forced to straddle the V as you hike or walk in the narrow bottom. Despite this, it is still a trail and you won’t have to do any scrambling or hike up a scree slope.